


Deep Water

by ImogenSmiley



Series: Reigisa [14]
Category: Free!
Genre: Aquaphobia, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Childhood Trauma, Dealing With Trauma, Discussing trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei, Established Relationship, Fear of Drowning, Free! Eternal Summer, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Phobias, Relationship Study, Support, Swimming, Writemas, hindsight, thinking back, writemas 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21784726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImogenSmiley/pseuds/ImogenSmiley
Summary: It was strange in hindsight, how Rei's stubbornness influenced his life so much.
Relationships: Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei
Series: Reigisa [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531475
Kudos: 5





	Deep Water

It was strange in hindsight, how his stubbornness influenced his life so much. Maybe it was the fear of making mistakes over the fear of trying something new. It had been so long since then, but even on occasion, after almost daily dips in the pool, he’d tense; flub an exchange, mess up a turn and bang his foot on the poolside, or jerk a muscle and need to sit out for a while. And albeit a painful way to ease his way away from the stressor which surrounded him, he was grateful for the fact that whenever it happened, he had an excuse to leave the water and calm down.

It had been a year since he’d learned to swim. But, when he did, he’d had nightmares, not that it was willing to admit it. Dreams of hands pulling him under, and sinking. How he’d been dragged to the bottom of the pool at age five, his lungs filling with water, before his father fished him out of the water. Rei hadn’t swum since, despite living in a port-town. The first time he leapt back into a pool was that day at Samezuka, despite desperately wanting to be able to do it.

Occasionally, he thought back to a boy he met in childhood, a fleeting encounter in the local library. He’d been there with his older brother, Akira, and younger sister, Aoi. But his siblings had drifted toward fiction, as opposed to theory textbooks. Rei had run into the redheaded boy there. He’d been dressed in street-clothes, a t-shirt and jeans, and had asked for advice, wanting to be able to learn to swim. He was looking for a method of mental training because he’d somehow lost the ability to swim, and needed to reclaim it. He was desperate, longing to know for himself.

He’d wonder, from time to time, whether he was able to swim again. Surely if Rei could learn to swim then he had learned how to do it again.

Albeit, he’d never seen him, and he doubted he’d recognise him if he’d see him now, but he hoped he would be okay.

"Rei-chan," Nagisa said, waving his hand in front of his boyfriend's face, "Rei-chan, come on, class is over, it's time for practise!" 

Rei winced, jerking upward, blinking several times and facing his boyfriend. How long had he been spaced out? How long had he not been paying attention in class? Was it because competitions were coming up again? 

He sighed, "I'm sorry, Nagisa-kun. Let's go then, we don't want to keep Makoto-senpai and Haruka-senpai waiting." 

Nagsia nodded, rushing toward the door. 


End file.
